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This may be the best practical joke we’ve ever seen on a golf course.

Vincent Welch, a first-year student at the University of Oklahoma, was playing at Scottsdale National’s Bad Little Nine when his new college golf teammates decided to prank him.

As Welch’s group approached an uphill par-3, where only the top part of the flag was visible, his, ahem, ‘friends’ arranged for one of the players up ahead to keep watch on where their tee shots went.

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What Welch didn’t know was that it was all part of an elaborate stunt to trick him into thinking he had just had a hole-in-one… and he fell for it.

Hook. Line. And sinker.

Watch what happened…

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And here’s the view from the green, which shows how close Welch came to actually canning his shot.

Credit to Welch, he took the joke like a champ…

The silver lining? He didn’t have to cough up for drinks after his round!


author headshot

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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